Key Points

The film may not have been a box-office success, but it gave Rani the stepping stone she needed, eventually leading her to cult hits like 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' and 'Ghulam.' However, not many know that behind this debut is a funny little story, one where her mother almost convinced the producer not to take a chance on her at all.

In a candid conversation with ANI, Rani revealed that after her very first screen test, her mother, Krishna Mukherjee, bluntly told producer Salim Akhtar that her daughter's performance was "so bad" it might ruin the film.

Rani laughed while recalling the moment. "For my mother, it was like, 'You do it and see how it goes.' But after my first screen test, she found me so bad that she told the producer, 'I think you'll ruin your film by taking my daughter. You'll face losses. You shouldn't take her.'"

The actress went on to share that while "Salim uncle" was "very keen" to sign her, her mother was clear enough to state that Rani wasn't doing a "good job."

"Because the producer was very keen to sign me, Salim uncle (the producer of Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat)... But my mom was smart enough to understand that I wasn't doing a good job. So she was like, 'I don't think you should take her,'" she added.

The film may not have been commercially successful, but it marked the beginning of a career that would soon become iconic. Within a year, Rani was starring in films that defined the late '90s and early 2000s.

'Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat' hit the big screen in 1997, where Rani played the role of Mala, a young teacher who marries a rich boy named Raj. The actress played the lead role in the film opposite Shadab Khan. It was a major debut for Rani in Bollywood, although she had already entered films with a Bengali movie.

- ANI